how often should a 6 month pup poop a day?

by susan gullotta
(greenwich,ct)

I have a 6 month old Golden male pup. I changed one piece of furniture in the house and he became so frightened that he ran into his cage. Suddenly he is frightened of every thing eg. I wore a different coat and he ran down to his crate.

My concern is that he used to go to the door when he had to go to the bathroom. Once he became frightened of every thing about 2 months ago] he no longer wants to go out to the bathroom. Now he never goes to the door unless I call him or I go out. Otherwise he does not poop or urinate. He never goes in the house.

I noticed that he does not poop in the morning or after every meal any more. He is still eating. drinking and runs around to play. He seems to be fine health wise.






Hi Susan
Your poor pup! His reaction to your furniture rearrangement was extreme, but it coincided with the second 'fear imprint stage' of his development.

Puppies go through their first 'fear period' between about 8 and 11 weeks, and the second one between 6 and 11 months. This is a normal developmental stage, but can result in overly cautious behavior, and fear of the unknown (and often even of previously familiar people/places etc.).

Your pup should gradually 'get over' this, but it's important not to 'baby or coddle' him, as that will reinforce his fears. Be calm and matter-of-fact in all your dealings with him, and use positive reinforcement (lots of treats and praise) whenever he does something even remotely 'brave'. Don't force him into situations that scare him, but try to gradually move him forward and build up his confidence again.

As for the elimination, if he never 'goes' indoors, then he isn't getting to the point where he's desperate to pee or poop. But I'd recommend that you take him out right after every meal, after naps and at least every 2 - 3 hours otherwise. That way he has plenty of opportunity to do his business outdoors.

If he seems healthy other than the anxiety, I wouldn't worry about this affecting his health. You will need to be very patient with him and help him to overcome his fears, it will take time but I'm sure he will eventually start to feel more self-confident.

If he is extremely anxious in some situations, you could try a natural product to reduce his fear, check out my Dog Separation Anxiety Medication for a whole selection of these. They can really help and don't have any of the nasty side effects of regular drugs etc.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and hope your pup starts to feel less anxious soon.